Article treating apparatus



April 25, w33.

E. L FOLEY AARTCLE TREATING APPARATUS 2 Shets-Sheet l @riginal Filed Feb. l5

1.5, '1928, 2 sheets-sheet 2' Original File Feb Patented Apr. 25, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BNEST L. FOLEY, F NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS ASSIGNOR TO UNDERWOOD MACHIN- EBY COMPANY, OF SOUTH BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF IIIASSA-- CHUSETTS amena Tananarive Arraaa'rus Application med February 15, 1928, Serial No. 254,419. Renewed .August 27, 1938;

This invention pertains to article treating apparatus designed to produce rapid change in the appearance, or in physical or chemlcal characteristics of an article or object, by the application of suitable means or media to its surface. Such treating means or media may, for exam le, consist of a jet or jets of gaseous iuid,witl)1 or without entrained particles of a solid or liquid; streams or sprays of liquid or vapor with or without solid or gaseous particles suspended therein; rays or beams of light; heat or cold; electrical emanations; etc. and provides for exposing substantially the entire surface of the body or article being treated, regardless of irregularities of contour thereof, to the action of the treating means or media. As a specific example of the utility of such apparatus I have here chosen to illustrate it as embodied in apparatus for coating irregularly shaped/parts, for

example, electric-motor casings with a protective or ornamental layer, such for instance as paint, enamel, lacquer or the like applied in the form of a spray.

In performing this coating operation as well as other treatments such as above suggested, I find it highly desirable to subject the article to a rapid succession of impingements by the treating medium, each successive impingement preferably covering a relatively small and different area of the surface of the article and being of relatively'short duration, thus producing locally intense action anda very uniform treatment which is nototherwise attainable. To this .end I find it desirable and convenient to rotate the article at high speed relative to the treatin device (e. g. the spray delivery nozzle), suc rotation producing avery uniform and well distributed coating regardless of inequalities in the surface of the article, and by the generation of a substantial centrifugal force exj pelling large drops or other surplus coating material. t

As a specialzdevelop-ment of this coating i .sired, then to the coating treatment herein apparatus, I have shown it as associated with means for cleanin the article preliminary to the ap lication o the coating material, but it is to e understood that the specific a aratus herein described is merely by way o 1llustration of the wide utility of the principle involved and is not intended to limitthe application or sco e of the invention. j

While in its broader aspects the present invention is not dependent upon. any speciiic means for moving the articles to and from the treating devices, I find that in the production of many articles upon a commercial scale, and particularly when the articles must be subjected to a preliminary process prior to coating, and to a drying or hardening step thereafter, it is very convenient to associate certain features of my treating apparatus with a moving. conveyor, for example an endless chain, or to embody myv treating apparatus in or use it as an adjunct to existing conveyor mechanism, thus permitting the articles to be successively subjected first to such preliminary step or steps as may be dechosen' for specific description, andV subse. uently to a finishing process, for example rying, all while progressing a succession of articles from a loading position to a convenient point of discharge.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of diafk grammatic character illustrating thepresent invention as embodied in apparatus'adapted to clean the articles and then to coat them with a spray of paint-like material Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic vertical section substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, but to larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the improved treating apparatus per se with the top element of its casing removed to show the interior construction;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation of the 00.

parte shown in Fi 3, looking from the leftindicates the casing of a drying chamber of suitable size, such casing bein made of any proper material, preferably o heat insulating character, supported upon an appropriate framework wiich carries bearlngs for shafts supporting sprockets 2 about which passes an endless chain 3. As here shown, this chain extends outwardly through the end wall of the casing at two points, forming loops which pass around tension pulleys 4 adapted to kee the chain under proper tension. Power or driving the chain may be applied at any desired point, for example, to one or more of the sprockets 2, such power being received from any suitable source, not shown. The chain may be driven continuously at the same or varying speeds, or inter mittentl ,as desired.

- The c ain 3 is preferably supported upon fixed guide rails having angularly disposed flanges 5 and 6. These rails are arranged in pairs with the ianges 6 spaced apart at their adjacent edges to provide a channel for the passaoe of the chain suspension members. The clxain is sup orted by means of a series of carriages 7 which travel on the flanges 6 of the guide rails, and each carriage is provided with means, for example the threaded bolts 9, for supportin the chain. These bolts are furnished wiih nuts 10 and permit adjustment of the height of the chain relative to its carria e.

it suitable intervals the chain is provided with spindle supports 11 (Fig. 5) these supports are adjustably secured to the chain by means of spaced bolts 12 and nuts 13, and

each support 11 carries a rigid bearing sleeve 14 having a journal opening therein for the rece tion of a spindle 15. The spacing of the olts 12 tends to keep the sleeve 14 rigidly perpendicular to the chain in the plane of the latter.

The spindle is provided with a collar at its upper end to retain it in the bearing and referably is furnished with a hook 16 at its ower en adapted to receive one or more articles M to be treated. At an intermediate point in its length the spindle is preferably provided with a whirl 17. As here shown this whirl consists of a pulley having a smoothly cylindrical peripheral surface, but

I wish it to be understood that in employing the term whirl I intend to include any de- Fig. 5) having rollers 8A vice -for example a pulley, pinion, sprocket flange, rib or even a portion of the surface of the splndle itself, which is concentric with the axis of the spindle and adapted to engage av moving part whereby to spin the spindle at desired velocity.

At a suitable point, referably outside of the housing 1, I provi e a loading platform 18 where articles may be placed upon the hooks 16 or may be unloaded therefrom. The

, loading and unloading may be done by hand or by the use of any suitable automatic meollanism as may be preferred. Preferably also, at a point outside of the housing 1, I arrange the treating apparatus forming the immediate subject matter of the present invention, and in Fig. 1 I have shown two such apparatus at 19 and 20. Each set of apparatus may be arranged to give the same or similar treatment to the article, or, as here shown, different treatments, for example, cleaning and coating. Since each set of apparatus is of substantially the same construction, it is necessary to describe but one in detail.

Referring to Figs. 3 to 7, inclusive, the apparatus 19 comprises a casing 21 provided with inwardly directed upper bracket members 22, 23, 24 and 25, and corresponding lower brackets 22a, 24, etc. The bracket 24, with its corresponding lower bracket 24a, pre1/idas bearings for a vertical shaft 26 having a beveled pinion 27 at an intermediate point and a sprocket wheel 28 adjacent to itsI upper end. The pinion 27 meshes with a pinion on a shaft 27n which is driven from any suitable source of power. A chain 29 passes around the sprocket 28 and around a sprocket 3() on the upper end of a shaft 31 journaled in the brackets 22 and 22, respectively.

The bracket 25, with its corresponding lower bracket, provides bearings for a vertical shaft 32, and likewise the bracket 23 with its corresponding lower bracket provides bearings for the vertical shaft 33. lreferably the bearings for the shafts 32 and 33 are adjustable and provided -with tension means (not shown) tending to move' the shafts 32 and 33 away 4from the shafts 26 and 31, respectively. The shaft 26 carries a belt pulley 34 and the shaft 32 carries a corresponding pulley 36, while the shaft 3l carries a pulley 35 andthe shaft 33 a pulley 37. An endless driving belt 38 passes around the pulleys 34 and 36, and a similar endless belt 39 passes around the pulleys 35 and 37. The belts 38 and 39 have substantially parallel runs 40 and 41 disposed at opposite sides of the vertical plane of movement of the chain 3v and at a distance apart substantially equal to the diameter of the whirl 17 of the spindle 15. The belts with their pulleys may be rewarded as typical of the class of continuous drive devices, in-

' ment with the whirl comprises a vertical supporting plate 42 carrying a channel member having spaced horizontal flanges 43 each` provided with slots 44 adapted to re- -ceive guide pins 46 projecting upwardly and downwardly from the edges of a shoe' 45.

arranged to slidefreely between the flanges 43. This shoe is furnished with one or more sockets 47 in its inner face for the reception of a corresponding spring or springs 48 tending to urge the shoe outwardly, that is to say, away from the supportin plate 42 and toward the vertical plane o the chain 3.

lThe shoe is furnished with a smooth outer surface engageable with the run 40 of the belt and thus presses the latter toward the plane of the chain. Inl the sameway the run 41 of the belt 30 is ur ed in the opposite direction, the opposed elts keeping the spindle in its true vertical position, transversely of the chain, while it is spinning. By reference to Fig. 4 it will be noted that the driving connections for the belts 38 and 39 are such that the runs 40 and 41 move in opposite directions. In Fig. 3 the arrow A indicates the direction of movement of the article-supporting spindles, and for convenience in descriptmn it may be assumed that the belt run 40 moves in the same direction, while the belt run 41 moves oppositiely. As the chain 3 brings the whirl 17 of a spindle into the s ace between the runs 40 and 41, the frictional engagement of the belts with the whirl causes the spindle 15 to rotate very rapidly. In order that the beltsA may have a substantially equal effect upon the whirl and to avoid any tendency to swing the spindle out of the vertical, it is desirable to drive the belt 40 at somewhat greater t speed than the belt 41 to compensate for the bodily movement of the whirl as it progresses along its path of movement, and to this end the sprockets 28 and 30 may beof slightly different and appropriate diameter.

Referring to Fig. 2, the casing 19 contains a suitable spray pipe 491having nozzle devices 50 adapted to deliver jets of treating medium, for exampleva lspray of paint. lacquer, or the like, for coating, or a blast of air min led with abrasive for cleaning. If desire a feeler device Fof well-known type and function may be arranged in the path of the article to be sprayed or'treated to determine the delivery of treating medium in accordance with presence or absence of an article in position to be treated. f

In the `apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1 it is assumed that the treating chamber 19 is provided with means for cleaning the articles (e. g. as said blast nozzle) while the chamber 20 1s -provided with means (e. g. a paint spray nozzle) for coating the article. The articles may be loaded upon the hooks of successive spindles at the point 18, and as the chain moves, these articles are carried through the casing 19 and subjected to a cleaning blast. The continued movement of the chain carries the cleaned articles through the chamber 20 where they are subjected to the spray of coated material, and thence they pass in a series of runs through' the chamber 1 where they are dried in any suitable and usual manner, eventually returning to the point-18 where they are removed.

As each spindle with its sus ended article enters the space between the be t runs 40 and 41, the engagement of the belts with the Whirl on the spindle sets the spindle into very rapid rotation, the rotation bein of a pos1- tive character `and lat much higher speed` than vwould -be possible were it occasioned by contact of the whirl with a relatively sta- Obviously the chain may be horizontal, as i shown, orn otherwise arranged, the shafts 26. 31, etc. being correspondingly disposed. If the chain be driven intermittently, it may be timed to leave the spindle for a predetermined period of time between the driving belts, thus prolonging the treatment, but Without sacrifice of the beneficial results of the yrapid whirling action.

By means of the above apparatus, it is possible to perform the coating operation with great rapidity and uniformity, and by providing a chain of sufficient length, it is possible thoroughly to dry the articles before they return to the loading station. At the same time, by employing a suiiicient number of article supportlng spindles upon the chain, it is possible to treat a great number of articles in a relatively short time.

While I have herein chosen to illustrate the invention in a single specific embodiment thereof, I wish it to be understood that the invention is capable of embodiment in apparatus differing in details of construction, in proportion of parts, in the materials employed yand in many other respects from that here illustrated without departing from the spirit ,ofy the invention, and that it is within the scope of the invention to substitute equivalents for the various elements here specifically recited.

I claim:

1. Apparatus of the kind in which a succession of articles moves through a treating zone, said apparatus comprising a rotary spindle for supporting an article to be treated, a' whirl on the pindle, an endless iiexible driver havin a run thereof disposed adjacent to the s indle whirl, a shoe engaging one side of sai run, and a spring urging said shoe in a direction such as to press .sa1d run of the endless driver into engagement with the spindle whirl.

2. Apparatus of the kind in which a succession of articles moves through a treating zone, said apparatus comprising a rotar s indle for su porting an article to be treate said spindle ing bodily movable along a path intersecting its axis of rotation, a whirl on the'spindle, an endless driver having a run substantially parallel to the ath of the spindle and at one side of sai path, said run engaging the whirl to spin the spindle and means at the opposite side of the path engageable with the whirl to ensure operative contact of the latter with the driver.

3. Apparatus of the kind -in which a succession of articles moves through a treating zone said apparatus comprising a rotar spindle for su porting an article to be treate said spindle eing bodily movable along a predetermined path, and a driver'disposed at each side of the path of the spindle, each driver being engageable with a whirl on the spindle whereby to spin the spindle, said drivers moving in opposite directions, that one of the drivers, which moves in the same direction as the movement of the spindle along its path, moving faster than the other.

4. Apparatus of the kind in which a s uccession of articles moves through a treating zone, said apparatus comprising a rotary spindle for supporting an article to be treated, and drivers disposed at diametrically opposite sides, respectively, of the spindle for spinning the latter.

5. Apparatus of the kind in which a succession of articles moves through a treating zone, said apparatus comprising a rotary spindle for supporting an article to be treated, a whirl on the spindle, anda air of endless flexible drivers having runs isposed at diametrically opposite sides of the spindle, said runs being spaced to receive the spindle whirl between them and by engagement therewith to spin the spindle, said drivers moving in opposite directions.

6. Apparatus of the kind in which a suc- .cession of articles moves through a treating zone, said apparatus comprising a rotary spindle for supporting an article to be treated, said spindle being bodily movablealong a path substantially perpendicular to its axis of rotation, a whirl on the spindle, a pair of endless belts each havin a run disposed at one s ide of the ath of t e spindle and substantlally paral el thereto, and means resiliently ur mg said runs toward the path of the spin le and into frictional contact with said whirl as the spindle progresses alon its path, said belts moving in opposite directlons. 7. Apparatus of the kind in which a succession of articles moves through a treating zone, said apparatus comprising an endless chain moving in a predetermined path, a guide rail for supporting the chain, a carriage-rigidly connected to the chain, said carriage having a bearin a spindle journalled in said bearing, sai spindle having a whirl and an article-supporting element, andpower-actuated means engageable with the spindle whirl for rotatin the spindle as the convcor passes through tghe treating zone.

8. pparatus of the kind in which a succession of articles moves through a treating zone, said apparatus comprising a rotary spindle for supporting an article to be treated, said spin e bein bodily movable along a predetermined at a whirl on the spindle, a pair of end ess belts having runs disposed at opposite sides, respectively, of the path of the spindle and substantially parallel thereto, means resiliently urging said runs toward the path of the spindle and into frictional engagement with said whirl as the spindle progresses along its path, said belts moving in opposite directions and at different speeds, that run which moves in the same direction as the movement of the spindle along its path having a greater velocity than the normal surface speed of the bodily advancing spindle.

9,. Apparatus of the kind in which articles to be treated are moved successively through a plurality of treating zones, said apparatus comprising an endless chain moving 1n a predetermined path, a guide rail for supporting the chain, a carriage rigidly connected to the chain, said carriage having a bearing, a spindle journalled in said bcarlng, said spinL dle having an article-supporting element, and wer actuated means for rotating the spin le at highspeed as it passes through each treating zone.

10. Ap aratus of the kind in which a sucl cession o articles moves through a treating zone, said apparatus comprismg a rotary spindle for su porting an article to be treated, said spindle being bodily movable along a predetermined path, a whirl on thc spindle, a driver moving parallel to the face of the spindle and engageable with thc whirl as the spindle advances along said path whereby to spin the spindle, and means for resiliently urgin said driver toward the path of the spin le.

11. Ap aratus of the kind in which a succession o articles moves through a treating zone, said apparatus comprising a rotary spindle for supporting an article to be treated, said spindle being bodily movable along a predetermined path intersecting its action of rotation, a whirl on the spindle and endless exible driver moving parallel to the path of the spindle having a. run thereof disposed in driving relation to the whirl as the spindle progresses along said path, and means for resiliently urging said run of the driver into Contact with said Whirl.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 14th day of February 1928.

ERNEST L. FOLEY. 

